US Vice-President Biden: Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a bad deal for Europe

The doubling of the gas pipeline connecting Russia directly with Germany through the Baltic Sea is "a bad deal" for Europe and destabilize Ukraine. US Vice President Joe Biden has spoken in this way,  in Stockholm where he met with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven.

"From our point of view the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is basically a bad deal for Europe," he said adding that "locked in a greater dependence on Russia would ultimately destabilize Ukraine. Europe needs a diversified suppliers gas. "

The EU imports approximately one third of gas from Russia and some eastern states are almost entirely dependent on imported natural gas from Moscow. After the first crisis with Ukraine, the European Commission has launched several initiatives to reduce dependence on Russian gas. Brussels believes that the project would concentrate 80% of imports from Russia in a single infrastructure.

Biden reiterated that the energy market "must be open and competitive and everyone has to play by the rules," adding that "no country should be able to use energy as a weapon or to bend to his interests the policies of other nations ". US Vice President stressed that currently all EU countries have the potential for access to liquefied natural gas coming from the United States if they wish.

Last month the consortium that was to build the pipeline from 55 billion cubic meters per year with an investment of 8 billion euro (Gazprom, Engie, OMV, Shell, E.ON and BASF) gave up to expression in Poland after the national Antitrust Authority has rejected the infrastructure to fears of a strengthening of the dominant position of Russia on the market.

Another obstacle for the Nord Stream 2, which could be circumvented constituting the consortium in a non-EU country or doing implement the project only by Gazprom and then split the provision on a contractual basis.

However, according to analysts, the opposition of Washington and Brussels could not block the start of work, at least until there will be Russia's willingness and the strong support of Germany.